Billionaire Len Blavatnik donated to American politicians over the years a total of more than $6 billion on different occasions, including millions in election Committee of the trump. Now its donations in the field of attention of the Prosecutor Mueller leading an investigation of Russia’s participation in the US presidential election in 2016.
Len Blavatnik, the billionaire businessman with a net worth of $17.9 B, says he has given away $500M to world-renowned universities like Oxford, Harvard, Stanford and Yalehttps://t.co/FNLqIBb62w pic.twitter.com/cqmEol80Zd
— Forbes (@Forbes) October 16, 2018
QUARTZ studied the biography and communications Blavatnik and showed exactly where he invested the funds.
Len Blavatnik came to the US from the USSR in 1978, and since then became a citizen and earned a lot. In 90-e was actively involved in Russian business, being interested in the oil industry, the aluminium and technologies. Most of the close relationships he has made with the Russian officials during the presidency of Dmitry Medvedev. In particular, QUARTZ notes close business ties Blavatnik with Mahovym, the former at that time Deputy Minister of internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, responsible for a high-tech update to this law enforcement Agency and the introduction of modern digital technology.
In may 2016, according to the files of Panama Papers, the largest Russian TV company Amediateka, a majority of which is owned by Blavatnik Access Industries seem to have transferred part of their subscription services Nemo TV, the company in which Magonov and his business partner Dmitry Karjakin held the share through an offshore company. The size of the share in Nemo Mahonova unclear. When he and Karjakin have created something that, reportedly, was the parent company for their offshore business in 2012, they split the shares 50/50. It is unclear whether the changed ownership structure and whether there were other investors in Nemo. Later Magonov was forced to resign because of the arrest of his subordinate corrupt composition.
Louise Shelley, Director of the Center for combating terrorism, transnational crime and corruption at George Mason University, however, notes that in the existing system differently Blavatnik and would not be able to build a business. However, Russian analysts never considered the proximity to Mahonova is a really powerful position in the Kremlin hierarchy. MIA by 2016, largely lost political influence, and «non-core», the Deputy Minister. The resignation of scandal — the best indicator of the real political weight. Although this may be just one of the episodes, one of the numerous and closer ties with the Kremlin.
However, the attention of the media and prosecutors are attracted by the fact that in those years in which there was a confirmed link Blavatnik with Russian security forces, its sponsorship activity to the address of the Republicans was the highest.
Thus, in the period from 2009 to 2014, the donations of the Blavatnik American politicians were relatively small. For example, only 273 600 dollars in the election cycle of 2014.
But from 2015 until the end of 2017, he donated at least $6,35 million the Republican party and the candidates. The money went in the form of personal donations and contributions through Access Industries and AI Altep Holdings, which, as reported, he also owns. (Both companies have the same CEO, and the brother of the Blavatnik was listed as the Director of AI Altep, according to Open Corporates).
Adam Schiff, Chairman of the intelligence Committee of the house of representatives, noted that «if the people who had connections with the Kremlin contributed to the election campaign, it will cause serious concern».
The Federal Prosecutor’s office in Manhattan, meanwhile, investigates the question of whether to give major donors to the inaugural Committee of trump’s money in exchange for access to the administration. It is not known whether they are studying the materials on Blavatnik, but it was among the largest donors to the Fund.
If he had received in exchange for donations to the access to administrative resources — hard to say. But he at least owns shares in the companies, which together have received millions of dollars in contracts from the «special» US government agencies such as the Department of defense, energy and homeland security, according to Federal filings. Among these firms include biotechnology company Humacyte, a chemical firm LyondellBasell and gas giant Calpine, recently bought by a consortium led by the main holding company Blavatnik of Access Industries.
